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[ad_pod ]This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…Southampton announced on Friday morning that they had completed the signing of Augsburg centre-back Kevin Danso on a season-long loan deal with an exclusive option to buy, which should ensure they have no chance of repeating their previous Toby Alderweireld mistake.

What’s the word, then?

Well, it looked as though Saints were set to end the window without making a new addition on deadline day, but news emerged shortly after the 5pm cut-off point that they had submitted a late deal sheet.

It wasn’t until after 10pm on Thursday until the confirmation that the formalities had been completed, with the move officially announced by the club on Friday.

The fact that it is a loan deal for the 20-year-old, with an exclusive option to buy, suggests that the south coast outfit have learnt their lesson after what has happened in the past.

Alderweireld fiasco

Saints signed the Belgium international on a season-long loan deal in the summer of 2014, but presumably with no concrete agreement that the move would become permanent the following summer.

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As explained here by Sky Sports, the south coast outfit thought they had the option of purchasing the now Tottenham Hotspur man for £6.9m in June 2015, but Atletico Madrid let their deadline pass to negotiate with Spurs, who were willing to offer more money – they eventually paid £11.5m for him.

Southampton even launched a late £14.2m bid for him, but it was too late.

This time around with Danso they shouldn’t have the same issues, seeing as they have ensured they have an exclusive option to bring him to St Mary’s if things work out well, and can send him back to Augsburg if they don’t.

Following a number of poor decisions in recent years such as giving current outcast Fraser Forster a five-year contract as one of the club’s best-paid players, and spending big money on the likes of Moi Elyounoussi, Guido Carrillo and Mario Lemina who have all ultimately flopped, it is good to see another sensible decision has been made.

Things may just be changing for the better under the tutelage of chief executive Martin Semmens, director of football operations Ross Wilson and manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, then.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Liverpool will look to maintain their 100% start to the Premier League season when they face Southampton at St Mary’s on Saturday.

The Reds kicked off their top flight campaign with a convincing 4-1 win against Norwich City at Anfield last week, before a gruelling Super Cup contest against Chelsea in Istanbul on Wednesday.

120 minutes and a penalty shoot-out later, the Merseyside outfit had another trophy to their name, but fatigue may well be an issue ahead of the trip to the south coast this weekend.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Here is the starting XI we think Jurgen Klopp is going to select…

Liverpool have already used two goalkeepers in their opening two fixtures, and it could be three in three after Klopp revealed on Friday that Adrian is a potential doubt after he was bizarrely injured by a fan on the pitch during the celebrations on Wednesday.

Given Alisson’s absence we don’t think that the German will risk playing the Spaniard if he isn’t at 100%, and that means veteran Andy Lonergan starts.

In defence, Trent Alexander-Arnold returns to the side with Joe Gomez the man to drop out, meaning Joel Matip and former Saint Virgil van Dijk once again partner each other at the heart of the backline.

Ahead of them, Jordan Henderson and Fabinho – who were both out on their feet following their exertions in midweek with the latter suffering badly from cramp – sit this one out with Gini Wijnaldum and Adam Lallana starting deep in the centre instead.

With Naby Keita also out we think Klopp could choose to go with a 4-2-3-1 system, with Roberto Firmino playing behind Mo Salah and with Sadio Mane and Xherdan Shaqiri – who was an unused substitute against Norwich and Chelsea – on the wings.

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Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane is fearful that Liverpool and Manchester City will be too difficult to catch in the Premier League this season.

The new campaign is just three games old, and whilst Liverpool have gathered nine points from their three fixtures thus far, City have seven points.

Spurs, meanwhile, have collected four points – missing the chance to move level with City after losing at home to Newcastle United on Sunday afternoon.

Kane has insisted that there is ‘a long way to go’.

Although the England captain is seemingly not too confident when it comes to his team’s chances of winning the title this season.

And it would be fair to say that a number of Spurs supporters are in agreement with the striker, who has two goals in three Premier League appearances this term.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

One thing is for sure, it will be a lot harder for Mauricio Pochettino’s side if they fail to pick up a positive result against Arsenal this weekend.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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The top two tiers in English football, the Premier League and the Championship, now embark on their first international break of the 2019/20 season.

Many clubs, particularly in the top-flight, will lose access to their players for at least the next week as they will link up with their respective national teams.

For others, it’s a chance to rest, but that’s not the case for West Brom’s £4m man Charlie Austin.

And no, the 6 foot 2 striker hasn’t earned his first-ever England call-up.

He is using this period to ramp up his fitness so he can cement his name amongst Slaven Bilic’s starting XI.

The 30-year-old didn’t have much of a pre-season after his former Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl practically froze him out of the squad entirely by not naming him for their tours of Austria and Ireland.

Austin put up this tweet on Monday, which has left several supporters at the Hawthorns touting him for big things this season.

One member of the Baggies faithful joked that he would get the beers in at Cheltenham festival if the striker scores 15 goals by then.

Whilst another added that he would be the key to this season and that it was great to see his commitment to the club.

The formidable forward has a more than respectable goal tally in this league alone, scoring 68 times in 134 appearances for both QPR and Burnley, per Transfermarkt.

A further West Brom supporter spoke on behalf of the entire fanbase to say that everyone was rooting for him. Austin has struggled this term and is yet to score a league goal.

Here’s the best of the reaction:

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Southampton centre-back Maya Yoshida has often had to settle for being second-best during his time with the south coast outfit, and it appears as though he is going to encounter the same old problem this term, too.

Since making the move from the Eredivisie in 2012, the Japan international has found himself behind the likes of Jose Fonte, Dejan Lovren, Toby Alderweireld and Virgil van Dijk in the pecking order over the years – not too surprising given the calibre of those aforementioned players.

Now in his eighth season at St Mary’s, he is still 14 appearances away from a milestone 200th outing which shows he has been anything but a regular.

However, there appears to be far more of a level playing field when it comes to the quality of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s central defensive options right now, with no-one in particular standing out.

It appeared that the long-serving Saint – who has emerged as something of a cult hero among fans during his spell on the south coast – had as good a chance as any of his teammates to nail down a regular starting spot, especially when the Austrian manager preferred a 5-2-3 formation in the early stages of the campaign.

Watch Southampton Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

That said, Jack Stephens got the nod ahead of the 31-year-old for the opening day trip to Burnley as he partnered Jannik Vestergaard and Jan Bednarek, and we wrote at the time how Yoshida had every right to be unhappy with that call.

Despite the deadline-day arrival of Kevin Danso, Yoshida looked to be in a good position to take up a role in the back three – as he did against Liverpool the following week.

A second successive defeat led to Hasenhuttl switching to a 4-2-2-2 formation for the subsequent fixtures against Brighton, Fulham and Manchester United though, and with two wins and a draw coming from those it may well be a system he chooses to stick with.

The problem for the Japanese player is that he hasn’t started in any of those three matches, with Vestergaard and Bednarek preferred in the Premier League and new boy Danso getting a chance ahead of him in the Carabao Cup.

The early indications are that the experienced centre-back is now fourth-choice in a position where only two players can play, and it is very much a familiar story for the 31-year-old.

Now it is up to him to prove that he should be a regular in the starting XI, and in fairness it isn’t a task that is as difficult as it has been in previous years with all of his competition looking to have their own weaknesses.

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After four games of the season, Arsenal boss Unai Emery can be moderately pleased with his team’s work so far, although he will be well aware plenty of improvement can be made.

The Gunners won their first two fixtures, against Newcastle and Burnley, but then lost to Liverpool 3-1 at Anfield. That was followed by a thrilling 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur in a pulsating north London derby.

Following the international break, the former Sevilla boss will be hoping his side can kick on as they stake their claim for a top-four finish, as well as hoping to be successful in the cup competitions.

In their next six games, they face Watford, Aston Villa and Manchester United in the Premier League, Eintracht Frankfurt and Standard Liege in the Europa League, and Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup.

How do football vloggers afford to watch their team week in, week out? Find out in the video below…

Gunners supporters are confident, to say the least, and there is a strong consensus, at least from parts of their fanbase, that they can pick up six consecutive victories.

They have been responding to AFTV’s tweet asking for their thoughts on the run, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

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Fabian Balbuena quickly established himself as one of West Ham United’s first-choice centre-backs last season following his arrival at the London Stadium in the summer of 2018, playing the full 90 minutes in their opening 14 Premier League matches, according to Transfermarkt.

His partnership with Issa Diop at the heart of the east London outfit’s backline flourished, and he drew plenty of praise from supporters on Twitter as a result as he became a no-nonsense favourite.

However, a knee injury suffered against Watford in December 2018 kept him on the sidelines until he made his return to the starting XI at Stamford Bridge in April, starting the remaining six Premier League matches of the campaign.

When he started against Manchester City on the opening day last month it appeared as though manager Manuel Pellegrini was once again ready to place his trust in the Paraguayan, who ended 2018/19 with 23 Premier League starts under his belt, leaving Angelo Ogbonna as back-up.

A 5-0 defeat against Pep Guardiola’s side actually led to the 28-year-old being dropped however, and his Italian teammate has gone from strength to strength.

He captained the Irons in their very next game away at Brighton, and has played the full 90 minutes in their subsequent three top flight matches since.

The latest of those was the 0-0 draw against Aston Villa on Monday night, where the 31-year-old was tasked with dealing with a potential handful in Wesley.

In the opening 45 minutes especially, Ogbonna dealt with the Brazilian better than partner Diop according to Football London, with the latter struggling against his physical presence.

Another clean sheet meant that the Italian has been part of a defence that not only has helped the club go on an unbeaten four-match run, but has also only conceded twice.

Watch West Ham United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Ogbonna’s match rating of 8/10 from Football London shows the huge strides he continues to make having made a regular return to the starting XI, and Balbuena looks to face an almighty task to win the spot back.

On current form Pellegrini can’t drop the former Juventus man, while the Manchester United-linked Diop appears unlikely to be left out anytime soon either.

That isn’t great news for Balbuena then, who could be the big loser at West Ham in the coming weeks and months.

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We may only be five games into the new Premier League campaign, but already the end-of-season cliches are being trotted out.

Newcastle find themselves third-bottom after a run of one win, one draw and three defeats. Steve Bruce’s side now face 16th-placed Brighton on Saturday, and Magpies skipper Jamaal Lascelles delivered an interesting verdict on the importance of the game.

Speaking to the club’s official website, the 25-year-old urged his side to pick up a much-needed win, and then went on to say that “these games are six-pointers”.

After hearing Lascelles’ comments, Newcastle fans flooded to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the situation.

Many supporters of the Tyneside club insisted it showed just how far the club have fallen, with one fan in particular saying it represented a “small club mentality”.

Others however leapt to Lascelles’ defence, and revealed that it is hugely important to ensure they pick up a win against fellow relegation candidates.

Check out some of the reaction of Newcastle fans below:

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When you think of the worst transfers in Premier League history you may think of Alexis Sanchez’s move to Manchester United, Andy Carroll to Liverpool or even Ali Dia to Southampton.

However, there is one move that many West Ham fans will remember that comes close to rivalling all of those – Joey Beauchamp’s switch to the Hammers back in 1994 has been referred to as “the worst transfer in Premier League history” by Sky Sports.

The main issue was that the midfielder was unwilling to move away from Oxford after joining the Hammers, meaning that he wouldn’t play a single game for the club, despite the fact they paid £1.2m for his services.

Watch West Ham United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

In the interview with Sky Sports, he paints himself as a scapegoat, while fans of the east London club, who the report says were abusing him at the time due to the rumours of unhappiness, will surely consider him simply as an embarrassment.

In the end, he lasted just 58 days at his new club before being sold to Swindon, and shortly after that he was back at Oxford.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Expert Roundup feature, which provides three quotes from those in the know in order to illuminate fundamental strengths, weaknesses, quirks, stylistic comparisons and general observations of players, transfer targets and confirmed signings.

It is fair to say that Barcelona weren’t too happy in 2017 when Manchester City swooped to sign their prized academy talent Eric Garcia.

The then 16-year-old centre-back had excelled as captain in every age group throughout his development at La Masia and was considered within the club as the natural heir to Gerard Pique and a future household name. A year later, influential displays for Spain in their Under 19s Euro triumph began the long journey of proving the Catalan giants’ lofty assessment correct with the youngster’s composure in tight areas and excellent distribution impressing.

A consummate debut outing for City in an away EFL Cup trip to Leicester last December further fanned the flames with Pep Guardiola openly effusive on his defensive prodigy, but it’s the recent losses to injury of Aymeric Laporte and John Stones that has really brought Garcia to wider attention.

With the champions notably light in numbers at the back might they now turn to their highly promising teenager at a time of need? A league debut recently against Watford – coming on for a second half cameo – suggests they will and, with that in mind, perhaps it’s about time we found out more about the Spain under 21 international who seemingly has every attribute to become a long-term favourite of Pep.

To do this who better to turn to than those who know him best…

David Cartlidge, scout and ESPN journalist

On signing for City, Blues flocked to Google to discover more about a player described as ‘one of La Masia’s biggest hopes’ but that aside information was slim on the ground. Thankfully David Cartlidge – a human Spanish football encyclopaedia – was on hand to help fill in some of the blanks and raise the excitement levels even further, as per CityWatch:

“There is a touch of Carlos Puyol about the kid in terms of his mentality. He’s very strong willed and determined, with that excellent natural leader glow about him.”

Pep Guardiola, Manchester City coach

Throughout Garcia’s development in England his gaffer has never shied from talking up the teen’s admirable character traits over and above his footballing ability. That was never truer than here ,as per FourFourTwo:

“He’s so smart, so intelligent. His physicality is not so, so strong, but he resolves the situation by thinking. I like to work with smart people, intelligent people. He is one of them. I can count on him. He has shown me an incredible personality.”

Kyle Walker, team-mate

Garcia’s introduction to the Premier League may have only consisted of half an hour against a heavily defeated Watford but it later emerged that his biggest contribution that day took place prior to kick-off. With Guardiola unsure whether his opponents planned to play with four or five across the back, his debutant informed him he’d been studying their warm-up and it would be the former.

It is attention to detail such as this – especially from one so young – that recently led his colleague Walker to suggest the Spaniard’s bright tomorrows in football do not solely reside on the pitch as per YouTube:

“Do you know who I think will become a Premier League manager? Eric Garcia. Even though he’s so young he just looks like one of them centre-halves who will become a manager.”

Verdict

If a ball-playing centre-back was created in a lab especially for Pep Guardiola he would look and play remarkably like Garcia, the next Gerard Pique.